The cultural experience I have gained from Brazil is amazing and the fact that we had Brazilian students actually showing us what their day-to-day lives consisted of was very eye-opening. I have always been fascinated by other cultures and I think this trip to Brazil was the best way to immerse myself in it. Latin America is so far from New Zealand we don't hear about it often, and the only representation of Brazil apparent to me was Rio, and I feel a lot of people wrongly presume that the rest of the country is the same. During this trip I learnt that was clearly not the case, and this realisation really stood out for me.
I've learnt so much about Brazil's culture from this trip and the level of diversity and acceptance it has. Which rolls over to their business ethics and is seen as key objectives for the businesses and corporations in Brazil. Something I think New Zealand definitely needs to look into more. Business in Brazil definitely focuses on social and environmental sustainability which I think is really cool for larger corporations to actually value their employees' well-being as well as nature.
Going on a trip to Brazil I didn't expect at all to see a company run by New Zealanders, and not only that but its products to be classed as premium in the Brazilian dairy industry. This really opened my eyes to what is possible in terms of global entrepreneurship and the fact that it doesn't matter that you come from a small country. Listening to all the speakers from the businesses we have visited, I noticed that their sole purpose wasn’t profit orientated, but rather creating a business with passion and purpose, with a working environment to match. This definitely being valuable information/advice that I will take away and apply to my future endeavours.
This trip has been an amazing opportunity to learn about a new culture and how business is done in different markets, and gain a first-hand understanding of global entrepreneurship.
